BROOMFIELD, Colo. — The Broomfield Veterans Museum held a Veterans Day celebration on Monday to honor the men and women who served our country.
The event featured military speakers and patriotic music provided by the Broomfield Civic Chorus and the Rocky Mountain Brassworks.
The event served as an introduction for many to the museum, which tells the stories of Coloradans veterans from the Civil War to today.
“It all started from a group of World War II vets that felt that we needed to have a place for Colorado veterans to be able to be honored,” said Gary Francis, president of the Board of Directors for the Broomfield Veterans Museum. “We actually have an honor board where members of the public, if they want to recognize their individual — father, uncle, brother, or sister that was in the armed forces — they can get them included in our honor board.”
Admission to the museum is free, and it is normally open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Veterans Day, however, the museum was open to the public.
John Peticolas, vice president of the Board of Directors for the museum, believes the museum's focus on the lives of the veterans sets it apart from others. He’s especially proud of a display honoring Paul Murphy, one of the survivors of the wreck of the USS Indianapolis.
“Almost 1,000 men went into the water, and only 317 — four and a half, five days later — were rescued,” said Peticolas. “Paul Murphy was one of those. Paul Murphy, here, is a long-time resident of Broomfield, and he is one of the original founders of this museum. So, he's one of the stories, one of the many stories that we talk about here at the museum.”
The museum was founded in 2002 after the City of Broomfield donated the building. Thanks to Murphy and the many other board members and volunteers, it serves as a place where veterans and their families can come to connect with each other.
“There's a camaraderie. There's a brotherhood that forms, and you miss that when you get out of the military,” said Francis. “This is a way to get some of that back. And we see that it's a haven for people to come and just share their stories with people that have similar experience and can empathize with you.”
To learn more about the museum, its hours, or how to donate to the museum, you can check out its website here.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.